stemik 14 Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 that top pic is truly excellent! Well done Mike! i see you've changed skis this year Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Moderator SnowJapan.Com#4 5 Posted February 24, 2009 SnowJapan Moderator Share Posted February 24, 2009 Yes brilliant. Photo of the Moment coming up soon! Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Cheers guys. Yep Blizzard Titan Cronus. Great ski. Thurssday 19 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 15cm in the past 24 hrs reported by the Niseko Avalanche Information web site. Left Kiroro last night for Rusutsu. Taught the first two hours under a bluebird sky, and then the heavens opened. Deep and light. Ian Stutchbury Ian Mackenzie Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Friday 20 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 8cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ. Blowing a gale. Top lifts closed. Time to give the face a rest. Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Consistently brilliant! Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Thanks Saturday 21 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 10cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ. The snow was blowing horizontal from around 11 last night. So with the certainty that the top lifts would be shut again and the backcountry would be too dangerous I got on the drink. Sitting in Niseko Pizza having cooked breakfast this morning I got the call that Ian M and Andy were going to take a punt on Rusutsu. 15mins later we were on the road. We took our onsen towels just in case, but thankfully they were redundant. Most of the lifts were running and while parts of the mountain had been blasted by the wind, we got ours Ian Mackenzie Andy Laidlaw Yours truly Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Sunday 22 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 24cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ. Poor visibility and high winds up high kept the gates shut all day, but lower down it was deep. Spent most of the day at a seminar in Hanazono discussing backcountry access from Niseko United, and how to improve avalanche awareness and education. Very informative presentations from guests Tim Petrick of K2 and Seattle based Swiss Mountain Guide Martin Volken. And some lively discussions. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Monday 23 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 19cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ. Day two of the seminar in Hanazono. 'The Legend of' Shinya spoke this morning re: the 'Niseko Rules' and gate access. And then we went out skiing the bluebird pow. Both Andy and I demoed the new K2 Backside line for 2009/10. Some great skis in there, all mounted with Dukes and with an innovative skin system. But being depth whores we both preferred the new Explorer all-mountain ski that will have the Duke binding next winter. Panorama of Iwaonupuri and Weiss from Mt Annupuri above Hanazono Andy Laidlaw Yours truly Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Tuesday 24 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 9cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ, passing the 10m snowfall mark for the season. SO FAR Greybird and spongy powder at Rusutsu. Decent day. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Wednesday 25 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 14cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Back to Kiroro with Andy, Ian S and Ian M. First time for the Ians. They weren't disappointed. Ian M Ian S Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 How many days this year Mike? Link to post Share on other sites
alexeiw123 2 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 wow mike, impressive. I can't beleive niseko just keeps copping white and fluffy day in day out, whereas the rest of japan seems to be getting warm days and rain. I'm especially liking the photos showing the underside of those armada skis! I like to think (wishfully) thats what I look like coming through the pow haha. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Thanks all. 83 days in. Thursday 26 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 2cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ With no appreciable new snow in our neck of the woods, it was back to Kiroro. This time just me and Andy. Andy Laidlaw Yours truly Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Friday 27 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 11cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Three times is a charm they say. Consider us charmed. Andy Laidlaw Ian Mackenzie Yours truly Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Saturday 28 February 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 2cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Beautiful bluebird day with knee to waist deep turns all over the mountain. We had a bit of snow in February. 277cm at village level. Sunday 01 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 8cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Happy St David's Day. Another beautiful bluebird day with knee to waist deep turns all over the mountain. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Monday 02 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 8cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Blowing a gale. Again. Top lifts shut. Again. Wasn't expecting much. Flabbergasted how quickly this mountain transforms itself. Greg H enjoying the change Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Lovely pics! great snow! Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Cheers. Tuesday 03 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 12cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Took a jaunt around to Moiwa for the first time this season. Quiet, untracked and waist deep. Glen hucking his meat Yours truly Link to post Share on other sites
window-cleaner 0 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Amazing photos. Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites
ssar 0 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 -- THAT is SICK. Awesome photo and conditions! We found that on a few occasions ourselves, rarely that deep, but a few times yea. Skied the best stuff I ever have on those few occasions we found stuff like that AND it was light & dry. We are a bunch of photo-gimps out on the mountain - fingers got too cold, too keen to keep going to concentrate enough, dont think I got hardly any good action pics at all, and didnt really try for many. Glad we went when we did tho! (got back home yesterday). Mmmm.. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Cheers. Wednesday 04 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 2cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Sunny and spring like this morning. Would have been a glorious day on the hill. The old bones were telling me to rest up. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Thursday 05 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 2cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Another sunny and spring like day. A fabulous day on the hill. Chalky pow out of Gate 4 that got heavier after lunch. Snow up high and rain down low forecast for the next two days. And wind. Again. Who knows what the morrow will bring. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Friday 06 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 0cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ No new snow, but no rain either. It's grey and the wind is kicking in. A few flurries in the village and it's really trying to snow. The good news is that we've already had 32cm of snow in March, which matches the the total snowfall for March, April & May 2008! Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Saturday 07 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 1cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Torrential rain yesterday afternoon that turned to snow in the pm. Boilerplate this morning for the 1st Hong Kong Ski Race. Dinner at Gentem and then a rather large night around town sans fists of fury. Sunday 08 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 1cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Didn't see this day. Looked sunny through the curtains. Monday 09 March 2009 Grand Hirafu, Niseko Resort Area 0cm in the past 24 hrs at MQ Cold, grey and icy. No thanks. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts